Member states of the European Union should adopt a moratorium in relation to cutting off heating during winter for missed payments, so that no family would be cold, note MEPs in a resolution approved on Thursday, 14 April.

In order to enhance poverty corruption measures in the EU by reducing energy costs for households, MEPs have offered to increase support to poor families and invest more money into energy efficiency projects to reduce utility bills for households.

Hungarian rapporteur Tamas Meszerics wrote in the prepared document that electricity should be recognized as first-necessity product. Appropriate heating, lighting, hot water are all necessary for everyday life. With that, a moratorium on cutting off heating during winter will help reduce the number of deaths and serious health problems caused by lack of heating during winter.

This resolution was approved with 310 votes in favour, 73 against and 26 abstaining from the vote, as reported by European Parliament’s press-secretary in Latvia Signe Znotina-Znota.

MEPs explain that the EU is gradually moving away from Europe 2020 strategy, which once provided for the reduction of poor people by at least 20 million in the next four years. The European Commission should assess if the income minimum scheme allows EU households to satisfy their basic needs.

MEPs believe economy, education, employment, energy, transport and social policy can be used in measures to combat poverty. Member states should use European structural and investment funds more effectively to resolve their energy poverty.

The parliament calls for provision of comprehensive information to consumers to enable them to make informed decision in regards to energy consumption. In addition to billing information, consumers should be provided with information on measures aimed to reduce energy consumption and enhance energy efficiency.

MEPs are disappointed that EU regulations on building energy efficiency are used to their full potential and that building renovations are not carried out for less socially protected households. The European Commission should consider adopting stricter rules to encourage member states to include energy efficiency schemes into social plans, MEPs say.

Poor families spend most of their money on food, housing and utilities. According to statistical data across the EU for 2015, 10% of EU residents had missed their payments for utilities. In 2014, 12% of EU residents could not afford sufficient heating of their homes in 2014.

Between 2008 and 2013, the number of poor people in the EU had increased from 117 million to 122.6 million. 16.7% of EU residents were at risk of poverty, 9.6% experienced sever material difficulties and 10.7% of households were considered to haw very low employment intensity.

An absurd situation has formed in Latvia, when society is not properly kept informed of voters’ proposed legislative projects and their signing. Certain municipalities do not provide citizens the right to sign them, thereby violating Section 90 of the Criminal Law, says Open Management Partnership in Latvia representative Ivars Redisons.

On Tuesday, 26 September, Latvian government approved the healthcare funding legislative draft, which was developed to establish the general outline for healthcare funding system’s principles and regulate the structure of the state mandatory health insurance.

On Tuesday, 26 September, Latvian Cabinet of Ministers decided to postpone the decision regarding the proposal to provide Latvijas Balzams with a corporate income tax discount worth EUR 4.24 million for the realization of a large investment project.

Latvian Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis decided not to risk stability of his government. Because of that, he decided not to into detail about Latvian President Raimonds Vējoņis’ proposal to stop issuing non-citizen status to newborns in Latvia, which is something the National Alliance objects to.

Responding to the findings by UN observers that Russia is seriously violating human rights in Crimea, a senior Russian diplomat has noted that their conclusions have no legitimacy as the UN monitoring mission only had powers to assess human rights situation in Ukraine.

Following voiced suspicions regarding payment of envelope wages and tax avoidance at Tokyo City public catering company, Latvian State Revenue Service’s Finance Police has commenced a criminal process, as reported by LTV Aizliegtais paņēmiens programme with reference to unofficial information.

Latvian Cabinet of Ministers intends to review Finance Ministry’s prepared legislative draft for amendments to the Law on Taxes and Duties. The legislative draft provides for improving the tax administration process and reducing administrative burden, including costs, for taxpayers.

Road logistics companies in Estonia dissatisfied with higher fuel duties considerably affecting their competitiveness in the region have turned to the Estonian parliament asking to find solutions to the situation.

Pork prices started growing in the second half of last year. The current trend shows that prices will continue growing this year. This means meat product prices may grow 15-20% this year, says meat processing company Forevers chairman Andrejs Ždans.

Altum development finance institution has signed a long-term cooperation agreement with European Investment Fund, which will provide guarantees for businessmen worth EUR 15 million as part of Cosme programme.

It is planned that Latvian port terminals engaged in oil products or dangerous chemical substances will have to introduce evaporation emission control systems starting from 1 January 2022, which is provided by Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry’s developed amendments to the Law on Pollution.

The President of Poland Andrzej Duda has announced and on the same day withdrawn proposals that would give the President a final say in appointing judges, after it became clear that there would be no parliamentary majority in parliament for the move.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, after her Christian democrats won the Bundestag election with their worst result in 70 years, has expressed a wish to regain the support of voters lost to the anti-Islam right-wing party Alternative für Deutschland.

Because of funding deficit, Welfare Ministry offers correcting the size of state benefits for first, second and every following child in a family, Diena wrote with reference to Welfare Minister Jāņis Reirs.

According to a UN human rights reports, Russian authorities in the occupied Crimea have performed serious violations of human rights with forcing its citizenship and prisoner deportation allegedly being among them.

In the two years provided for the completion of the established asylum seeker resettlement project, Latvia has resettled 346 out of 531 asylum seekers, explains Interior Affairs Ministry. This means Latvia will not face sanctions for non-compliance with commitments.

In Estonia, applying for state subsidies for the production of biomethane will open from 2018 and the Baltic country seeks to increase the consumption of the domestically produced and more environmentally friendly fuel.

«Unfortunately, the veto right privilege of countries represented in the UN Security Council is often abused, which results in paralysis of the council’s work,» says Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs.

From the monument to Russian arms inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov, unveiled in Moscow last week, an image of a German firearm has been cut after it has been depicted by mistake as a variation of the AK-47 gun.